'Ananya is a thorough professional'

Prajwal Devaraj has his hands full. He is a passionate actor, who believes in chasing his dreams, whatever it takes.

Even amidst his tight shooting schedule, he has managed to smuggle in some time to learn salsa, something that he always wanted to do.

“I love dance in just about any form and I always wanted to learn salsa.

So, after a hectic day of shooting, I have someone who comes home to teach me salsa. And later in the evening, I hit the gym,” says Prajwal.

With three films ready for release, Prajwal is excited to talk about the characters that he has been essaying. In Gokula Krishna, he plays two very contrasting roles. In the first half, he plays an American-returned boy who walks, talks and lives like an American.

“Having spent a better part of his growing-up years with his friends in the United Sates, the young man finds it hard to adjust with his parents in India. In the second half, it’s just the opposite — he literally teaches people how to live.

He becomes more responsible, gets a regular job and lives a decent life,” explains Prajwal and adds, “Gokula... has given me immense scope for performance. I had to master the art of playing two different characters in a single film. It was indeed a great learning experience.”

Gokula Krishna is Tamil and Malayalam actress Ananya’s debut in the Kannada film industry. Talking about his co-star, Prajwal says, “She portrays her role with immense sensitivity and she’s a thorough professional.”

Prajwal is also playing the lead in Jidhi, which is the remake of the Malayalam movie Puthiya Mukham.

“This is a mix of love and action. It’s about a boy who comes from a village to study engineering in a city. He is ragged and later harassed by his seniors in college. He is beaten up and asked to leave the college. But the boy returns to study. This is the twist in the tale,” explains Prajwal.

There’s loads of comedy in Super Shastri, in which Prajwal plays a pujari who pretends to be a don just to impress the father of the woman he loves. “I always liked comedy in any form. It’s an out-and-out laugh riot,” he adds.

As an actor, Prajwal believes that it’s important to look good. “You have to have a good body. I don’t believe in building my muscles but I think actors must look presentable on screen,” he concludes.